ICE Needs to Chill Out

According to the U.S Department of Justice, individuals who enter the United States illegally may be subject to a civil penalty, which, in other words, is a non-criminal fine that a person would need to pay for breaking the law.

Illegal immigration is not a felony, but that isn’t stopping the current presidential administration from acting like it.

A recent CBS article states that of the 400,000 people detained by ICE in 2025, only 14% had a criminal background. President’ Trump’s s administration is not deporting criminals, they are ripping apart families. If the administration followed proper protocols presented by the Department of Justice, the correct punishment would be a fine, not being held in a detention center for days on end after being ripped from one’s home.

Just this year, eight people have died from ICE related incidents: Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Renee Nicole Good, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, Heber Sánchez Domínguez and Alex Pretti. Some of the deaths being at protests, some were claimed to be suicides despite eye witness testimonies, all under ICE supervision.

The number of children being held in ICE detention centers jumped from the average of 25 a day under the Biden administration, to the average of 170 under Trump.

One would think that a country that founded itself on the backs of immigrants, people would have more empathy about these events. But that is not the case. The country that once prided itself for being the “land of the free” and a place where immigrants found hope, had now turned into a palace of fear.

Trump, the grandson of immigrants, and the current/former husband of two immigrants, is supporting and funding the harsh treatment of immigrants. Why should the country follow a man who wants to deport immigrants when his own family has reaped the benefits of i8mmigration?

In the case that someone is detained by ICE, they should remember that they still have rights. They are protected against unlawful search and seizure, as guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment, the right to remain silent, as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, and the right to a lawyer, as guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.

If an ICE agent happens to show up to one’s home without a warrant, the homeowner has every right to not open the door. Everyone has the right to record any interaction with ICE and obtain their badge number.

For a nation that was built by immigrants, we should be more accepting of them.

– For The Collegian Editorial Board

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